When it comes to planning weddings there is often a lot of emphasis placed on the dining and dancing aspects of the day. Social media is full of images of beautifully styled tables, and couples are always excited about the party they will have at the end of their wedding day. These elements are important, filled with opportunities to create an amazing atmosphere and memorable moments, but one part of the day that shouldn’t be overlooked is the ceremony. It is the foundation of your wedding day, the bit your loved ones have all gathered to witness, and more and more couples are now choosing to have a much more personalised wedding ceremony. Whether you are having a Jewish wedding or not, this blog will take you through your three main options for styles of ceremonies and help you understand how to make yours bespoke and unique.
Broadly speaking there are three main types of wedding ceremony: religious, civil and symbolic. The most important thing to note is that in UK law only civil wedding ceremonies are recognised as legally binding, though these can be performed alongside religious or symbolic ceremonies so that, for all intents and purposes, your ceremony officially weds you. Many Elegante couples choose to have a small civil ceremony in order to attain their ‘legally married’ status, and this then leaves them free to design a ceremony for their wedding day that is personal, meaningful and very moving.
Personalised Wedding Ceremony – Symbolic
At Elegante by Michelle J we plan Jewish weddings across the spectrum of observance, as well as luxury non-Jewish weddings in the UK and abroad. For couples not including a religious element to their wedding, the symbolic route is the perfect way to achieve a truly personalised wedding ceremony. For a full run-down on everything you need to know about symbolic wedding ceremonies you can visit our blog post here, however a few of the highlights are as follows…
- A symbolic wedding ceremony can be ‘officiated’ by a celebrant (who often designs and writes the proceedings too), but you can also ask a friend or family member to perform it which adds another level of sentiment
- Symbolic ceremonies are the epitome of bespoke, and can include readings, personal vows and some sort of ending which can take many forms. Popular choices are hand fasting, exchanging of rings, releasing balloons or other traditions such as ‘jumping the broom’
- Whilst not legally binding, a symbolic personalised wedding ceremony looks and feels very real and still carries significant meaning
Many of our recently married couples legally married in the UK and we planned their weddings in Italy, where they had lovely symbolic ceremonies in beautiful locations. Charlie and Bobby’s wedding took place in the gardens of the Chianti borgo they hired for their wedding weekend, with views of the Italian countryside. Take a look at their feature on English Wedding Blog to see how we styled the set up.
A Religious Wedding Ceremony
Religious wedding ceremonies can take many forms, but at Elegante by Michelle J we deal most often with Jewish weddings. Our expertise in the field means we plan and deliver weddings for couples at all levels of religious observance as well as interfaith weddings. There are many nuances to religious Jewish wedding ceremonies, which we’ll explain here.
Jewish wedding ceremonies follow a specific format, whether that is for a Jewish couple having an entirely Jewish ceremony or an interfaith couple with a Jewish blessing. If an interfaith couple are marrying, the non-Jewish part of the ceremony can be personalised but the blessing remains the same. That being said, by its very nature, a Jewish wedding ceremony will always feel very personal and emotive, and the music choices made by the couple will assist with this.
In some circumstances the legal, civil aspect of the ceremony can be performed at the same time as the Jewish blessing. If both partners are Jewish and are being married by a Rabbi affiliated to a synagogue, the rabbi will most likely be a registered officiant and able to perform the civil marriage alongside the Jewish ceremony. If this is not the case, a civil ceremony must be performed in addition to the chuppah in order to make the marriage legally binding. For destination weddings a civil wedding must be performed separately, as rabbis cannot officiate legally binding ceremonies overseas. To find out more about Jewish wedding traditions, visit this blog we wrote on the subject.
Explore some of our past couples’ religious wedding ceremonies overseas: Claudia and James’ sea-view celebration in Greece, and Stephanie and Dan’s Jewish wedding in Lucca. In both cases the civil, legal ceremony was performed separately and the Jewish chuppah at their destination wedding.
Whether you are planning for a religious (Jewish or not), symbolic or civil wedding ceremony, there are options that allow you to have a truly personalised wedding ceremony. We always work with our couples to help them get the most out of this special part of the day, and have wonderful contacts with celebrants who can design the ideal ceremony for each individual love story. If you’d like to know more about working with us to plan a personalised wedding, whether religious or not, please get in touch.